Posts [ 20 ]

Topic: James Herbert

This is my second favorite auothor is much more creepy and lot more scary then Shaun Hutson but less gory, He Did great job on Rats i loved it.

Here a list of booksThe Rats (1974) ( lamentable film adaptation was made in 1982 titled Deadly Eyes.)It was only when the bones of the first devoured victims were discovered that the true nature and power of these swarming black creatures with their razor sharp teeth and taste for human blood began to be realized by a panic-stricken city. For millions of years man and rats had been natural enemies. But now for the first time - suddenly, shockingly, horribly - the balance of power had shifted.

The Fog (1975) (It is Herbert's second book and is completely unrelated to the 1980 John Carpenter film of the same name)In an exclusive private school, students sexually assaulted and mutilated their teachers, then savagely turned on one another... At a seaside resort, thousands of people joined in a monstrous act of self-destruction... In a lonely room, an old lady was shredded and eaten by her beloved pet cats... In the city, mass copulation and insane slaying spread. Time was running out for mankind.

The Survivor (1976) (made into a film in 1981 )It had been one of the worst crashes in airline history, killing over 300 people and leaving only one survivor. Now the dead were buried and town of eton tried to forget. But one man could not rest. Keller had walked from the flames of the wreck, driven on by unseen forces, seeking the answer to his own survival. Until the town was forced to face the shocking, dreadful truth about what was buried in the old graveyard. And a truth Keller did not want to believe..."

Fluke (1977) made into a film in 1995 He was a stringy mongrel, wandering the streets of the city, driven by a ravenous hunger and hunting a quarry he could not define. But he was something more. Somewhere in the depths of his consiousness was memory clawing its way to the surface, tormenting him, refusing to let him rest. The memory of what he once had been. A man..."

The Spear (1978)When Steadman agreed to investigate the disappearance of a young mossad agent, he had no idea he would be drawn into a malevolent conspiracy of neo-nazi cultists bent on unleashing an age-old unholy power on an unsuspecting world-power rising out of a demonic relic from man's dark primal past to threaten humanity with horror beyond any nightmare..."

Lair (1979) The mutant white rats had grown and mated, creating offspring in its own image. They dominated the others, the dark-furred ones, who foraged for food and brought it back to the lair. Now the dark rats were restless, tormented by a craving they could not satisfy. But the white sluglike thing that ruled them knew. Its two heads weaved to and fro and a stickiness drooled from its mouth as it remembered the taste of human flesh..."

The Dark (1980) (This book scared me for bloody weeks, great book!)It came like a malignant shadow with seductive promises of power. And somewhere in the night... a small girl smiled as her mother burned... asylum inmates slaughtered their attendants... in slimy tunnels once- human creatures gathered. Madness raged as the lights began to fade and humanity was attacked by an ancient, unstoppable evil..."

The Jonah (1981) The shadow of his past was always with him. But he never knew what it was, or when it would strike next. Sent to a small coastal town to investigate drug smuggling, Kelso stumbles onto a dangerous organisation and suddenly, more than just his life is at stake. It's his past, his future, his sanity. Through torture and drugs he discovers the terrifying secret of the The Jonah. And learns, in the most horrifying way, that it can destroy him as well as others..."

Shrine (1983) A little girl called Alice, a deaf-mute. A vision. A lady in shimmering whote who says she is the immaculate conception. And Alice can suddenly hear and speak. And she can perform miracles. Soon the site of the visitation, beneath the ancient oak tree, has become a shrine, a holy place for thousands of pilgrims. But Alice is no longer the guileless child overwhelmed by her new saintliness. She has become the agent of something corrupt, a vile force that is centuries-old. Innocence and evil have become one.

Domain (1984) The long-dreaded nuclear conflict. The city torn apart, shattered, its people destroyed or mutilated beyond hope. For just a few, survival is possible only beneath the wrecked streets - if there is time to avoid the slow-descending poisonous ashes. But below, the rats, demonic offspring of irradiated forebears, are waiting. They know that Man is weakened, become frail. Has become their prey

Moon (1985) He had fled from the terrors of his past, finding refuge in the quietness of the island. And for a time he lived in peace. Until the 'sightings' began, visions of horror seeping into his mind like poisonous tendrils, voilent acts that were hideously macabre, the thoughts becoming intense. He witnessed the grotesque acts of another, a thing that gloried in murder and mutilation, a monster that soon became aware of the observer within its own mind. And relished the contact. A creature that eventually would come to the island to seek him out..."

The Magic Cottage (1986) We thought we'd found our haven, a cottage deep in the heart of the forest. Quaint, charming, maybe a little run-down, but so peaceful. The woodland animals and birds couldn't have been more neighbourly. That was the first part of the Magic. Midge's painting and my music soared to new heights of creativity. That was another part of the Magic. Our sensing, our feelings, our love for each other - well, that became the supreme Magic. But the cottage had an alternative side. The Bad Magic. What happened to us there was horrendous beyond belief. The miracles, the healings, the crazy sect who wanted our home for themselves, the hideous creatures that crawled from the nether regions, and the bats - oh God, the bats! Even now those horrible things seem impossible to me. Yet they happened..."

Sepulchre (1987) There is a house, hidden away in a small valley, that holds a dark and dreadful secret. The house is called Neath. There is a psychic who lives in that house who is part of its secret. His name is Kline. There is a guardian of the house, and of the psychic, and of the secret. He is known as The Keeper. Together, in unholy union, they serve a force who existence threatens mankind itself. But now a terrible danger is sensed and an outsider must protect them all. The outsider is Halloran, and he is unaware of the insidious evil he must face. He will learn of a multinational corporation's strange method of detecting new mineral resources; he will combat men who thrive on the worst of physical corruption; he will find love of a perverse nature; he will confront the darkness of his own soul. And eventually Halloran will discover the horrific and awesome secret of the Sepulchre...Haunted (1988) (made into a film in 1995 see Haunted)THREE NIGHTS of terror at the house called Edbrook. THREE NIGHTS in which David Ash, there to investigate a haunting, will be victim of horrifying and maleficent games. THREE NIGHTS in which he will face the blood-chilling enigma of his own past. THREE HIDEOUS NIGHTS before Edbrook's dreadful secret will be revealed... And the true nightmare will begin."

Creed (1990) Joseph Creed is a paparazzo, one of that un-illustrious band of photographers whose sole purpose in life is to chase and harass celebrities for candid shots, preferably of the seedier kind. Creed, himself, is a sleaze of the first order, but good at his job; nothing will stop him getting the right shot. He's a coward, a liar and a would-be blackmailer. He's also a womaniser and a divorcee. He looks a little like the actor Mickey Rourke (and is aware of it). After the funeral ceremony of a major Hollywood actress, he photographs a man of ravaged appearence desecrating the grave. Creed himself is observed and there follows a series of horrific events designed to intimidate him into handing over the film. The person he has photographed bears a remarkable resemblance to a man hanged in the 1930s for murder and the mutilation of children. Creed eventually discovers his antagonists are the Fallen Angels of Europe, whose origins can be traced to Biblical sources. Their powers are waning, the centuries and the evil they have perpetrated have taken their toll. The demons are weary. Creed finds them in an old folk's rest home..."

Portent (1992) The time is just a few short years from now. But already the signs of global disaster are multiplying. Freak storms, earthquakes, floods volcanic eruptions are sweeping the earth. The last violent spasms of a dying planet. Then a series of ominous events signal the emergence of new and terrifying forces. While scuba-diving on the Great Barrier Reef a diver watches fascinated as a tiny light floats past him towards the surface. Moments later he is torn to pieces as the reef erupts with shattering power. In Varansi on the banks of the Ganges a young boy pauses in his back-breaking labours, transfixed by the play of a mysterious light amidst the monsoon rains - before a towering geyser of boiling water bursts from beneath the streets to scald him into oblivion. In the Chinese city of Kashi travellers bring back reports of a strange light seen shining above the endless dunes of the Taklimakan Desert. And as the city's inhabitants watch for its return the desert rises up like a vast living thing to engulf them in a colossal tidal wave of sand. All have seen a portent. A sign of unimaginable powers about to be unleashed. A sign that something incredible is about to begin." The Ghosts of Sleath (1994) ( GREAT BOOK)Sleath. Quiet, peaceful. A small village hidden away in the Chiltern Hills, almost forgotten by the modern world. Nothing much seems to happen here, little disturbs the centuries-old tranquillity. Until the ghosts begin to appear. And frighteningly bizarre events start to occur. Psychic investigator David Ash, a man burdened by the dark secret of his own past, is sent to Sleath to investigate the phenomena and his discoveries there drive him to the very edge of his own sanity. The incidents grow worse until, in the final night of horror, awesome and malign forces are unleashed in a supernatural storm that threatens to consume the village itself. For Sleath is not what it seems. And the dead have returned for a reason."

'48 (1996) In 1945, Hitler unleashes the Blood Death on Britain as his final act of vengeance. Hoke, an american pilot and one of a tiny minority with a rare blood group unaffected by the deadly disease, has survived alone among the debris and the dead of London for three years. Now, in '48, a slow-dying group of Facist Blackshirts believe their only hope is a complete transfusion of blood from one of Hoke's kind. Ever more desperate as their deaths approach, they're after his blood. Running for his life, Hoke is rescued by other survivors and together they're pursued in a spectacular but deadly chase through London's ravaged streets and historic landmarks, reaching a dramatic and explosive climax at the top of Tower Bridge."

Others (1999) (You will NEVER put this books down, and never turn light off again1)Nicholas Dismas is a Private Investigator, but like no other that has gone before him. He carries a secret about himself to which not even he has the answer... He is hired to find a missing baby. One that was taken away at birth... Or was it? His investigation takes him to a mysteriously located place called Perfect Rest. It is supposed to be a nursing home for the elderly... But is it? Here Dismas will discover the dark secret of the Others. And in an astonishing and spectacular finale he will resolve the enigma of his own existence." Once (2001) (Another great book)The new bestseller from Britain's number one chiller writer. Remember the faery stories you were told as a child? Tales of tiny, magical, winged beings and elves, wicked witches and goblins. Demons...What if one day you found they were true? What if, when you became an adult, you discovered they were all based on fact? What if you met the fantasy and it was all so very real? That's what happened to Thom Kindred. The wonders were revealed to him. But so were the horrors, for not far behind the Good, there always lurks the Bad. And the Bad had designs on Thom. The Bad would show him real evil. He would see the 'hellhagges' and the demons. He would be touched by perverted passion. And corruption. And he would encounter his own worst nightmare. The Bad would seek to destroy him. And only the magic of the little beings would be able to help him. Once, James Herbert's masterful new novel of love, lust and darkest horror, will take you to a realm where fantasy and reality collide, where faery tales really can come true.

Nobody True (2003) (Read all of it before i brought it )I wasnâ€™t there when I died.I was having one of those out-of-body dreams, the kind where you feel your spirit has left your body and it isnâ€™t really a dream. You may have read about the phenomenon, you might even have experienced it yourself.But somebody murdered me while I was away. Mutilated me. Chopped me to pieces.Left nothing for me to come back to.Who did it? Thatâ€™s what I asked myself.The serial killer who was terrorizing the whole city? Or someone closer, someone known to me, someone who maybe had a grudge, a score to settle? But I had no enemies. At least, I didnâ€™t think I had.Then I began to discover things about myself. And about the people I thought loved or liked me. My best friend, my business partners, my mother... my wife. Funny what people say about you when they think youâ€™re dead.And itâ€™s scary when you meet the serial killer, when horror is followed by even greater horror, when your own family is threatened and only you can stop the killings.So what do you do? Youâ€™re invisible, you can pass through solid walls, you can kind of fly.But you have no substance, no real power. You cannot even touch.What the hell do you do?I had to find a way. Fast. I had to prevent more brutal slayings, the awful mutilations, and the desecrations. I also had to avenge my own death.But how?How...?

and the last oneThe Secret of Crickley Hall (2006) i can't find the plot to it!

Re: James Herbert

I never heard of him. I think the reason to that is b/c i hardly read. Actually it's pretty much rare for me to read books. And somehow i buy certain books that i really want to read, i buy them and for some odd reason, i tend on never finishing them.

Re: James Herbert

Me! I have I was an avid reader of his works and have most of his earlier stuff. Granted I have not read much horror lately. But he is a fine writer (and English) and his style is very approachable and believable. Well worth the read Must catch up with is later works Cheers Bassi:)

Re: James Herbert

My girlfriend has read alot of his works and she says that he is pretty damn good I tried reading some of them a while back but at the time I wasn't really in the mood for horror

Try harder!

The Rats trilogy is awesome but my favourite is probably The Dark, it was the first of his books I read I've read it a load of times! I've read most of the books on the list, they're all really enjoyable

Re: James Herbert

My girlfriend has read alot of his works and she says that he is pretty damn good I tried reading some of them a while back but at the time I wasn't really in the mood for horror

Try harder!

The Rats trilogy is awesome but my favourite is probably The Dark, it was the first of his books I read I've read it a load of times! I've read most of the books on the list, they're all really enjoyable

My god The Dark the scared the hell out me, i had with Light for two nights!What did you thiink of Nobody True?

Re: James Herbert

Nobody True is one I haven't read yet! I've read all the ones on the list except Nobody True, Fluke and '48. I should crack out some of them books again, the Others scared me a lot.

The Dark was really scary, I love the flashbacks in the house, all the gory stuff. I thought The Dark and the Fog had similar stories, but I loved them both. Something I always loved about his books was the locations. I don't know if it's something about the way he describes them but they always are really clear in my head, and If I ever come across a place in the real world that reminds me of the places in the books I get really freaked out.

Re: James Herbert

My girlfriend has read alot of his works and she says that he is pretty damn good I tried reading some of them a while back but at the time I wasn't really in the mood for horror

Try harder!

The Rats trilogy is awesome but my favourite is probably The Dark, it was the first of his books I read I've read it a load of times! I've read most of the books on the list, they're all really enjoyable

My god The Dark the scared the hell out me, i had with Light for two nights!What did you thiink of Nobody True?

I read that fairly recently and its not one of my favorite Herbert books. I thought the whole premise was great, but I thought it dragged a little. It's been a while since I've read any of his others. I'm going to have to get my books out of storage and reread some of them. Ever read any Gary Brandner?

Re: James Herbert

I've recently been scouring the secondhand book shops to try and replace all my James Herbert novels that have been lent out and not returned (very annoying!!)I've read most of his earlier books, my favourites being The Rats, Moon,Portent and more!! I haven't read any of his later books thought - The Ghost of Sleath was probably the last. I've got some catching up to do!!:P:D